Storage-battery electrode.



y T. A. EDISON & J. W. AYLSWORTH.

STORAGE BATTERY ELEGTBDE.

APPLICATION FILED APBTZB, 190`5.

Patenta No`v..22,`1910.

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Patented Nov.22,1191o.

2 SHEBTB-SHEET 2.

l Inventors.

H.l T R O W A S .L Y.V A W. J. & N 0 S .Y I D E A mL and State of NewJersey, and

'UNITED srafrns ,riifrianr OFFICE.

THOMAS a. EDISON, or LLEWELLYN Palin, ORANGE, AND JONAS w. AYLsWOnTn,OF'

EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS T0 EDISON STORAGE BATTERY COMPANY,'0F WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

` STORAGE-BATTERY ELEo'rnoDE. p

Application ld April 2B, 19,05; Serial No.'257,807.

To all whom it may conc-em:

Beit known that we, THOMAS ALvA EDI- SON, la citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Llewellyn Park, Orange, county'of Essex, JONAS W.AYLSWORTH, a citizen of the United States, residingat 223 Midlandavenue, East Orange, county of Essex, and State of 4New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful I Storage-Battery Electrodes, of whichthe alkaline. electrolyte is use following is a description.

Our invention relates to various new and useful improvements in storagelbattery electrodes of the Edison t rpe, wherein an d with insolubleactive materials' maintained under pressure Within perforated insolublepocketsor receptacles. In the practical commercial development ofthe'Edson battery, diiculty has been experienced on the nickel side,owing to the swelling of the active mass, bulging the inclosing pocketsoutwardly, a'ecting Jhe-contact between the active particles `themselvesand between the" active particles and the inclosing pockets, andincreasing the likelihood of short circuits between adjacent platesofpopposite polarity.

lOur invention relates-therefore, particu-' larl t0the"construction ofthe positive electro es, using nickelhydrate as the active Edison, filedmass, the latter being adl'nixe'd with `flakes or scales of -aninsoluble conducting material, preferably cobalt or acobalt-nickelalloy, as disclosed in' theapplication of Thomas A. March30, 1905, Serial No. 252,935. a

- Our object is to provide an.iinprovedcon` struction forst'ora-gebatteryelectrodes Whereby the 'electrodes.may vassmbled veryf 40cheaply, great .,dural'iility` will. i

e secured a l'iighueihcienc'y obtained and -any possibihty overcome.offgpor'ir',contacts, 'due to' excessive 4-svg'olii-'ng or bri-Iginoofthe inclosing pockets.

'To ytls end, the 4invention consists in 5 utilizing 'pockets in theform ot' small per-- foratedtubes with" closed ends and contain-vingfthe act njl'aterial under-pressure, and

pleierabl lv Jp 1 orxzontal 'rows in 4the grid or y 4the diameter.of'.,eael iv pocket "being" snm-l1 'enol'gh topi-event the centralportion of the active mass therein from berelutvely isolated.electrolytic'ally.

lin Order that the invention may'be better from which t oltedvverticali/ y sideby-4 side;

tubes, as explained understood, attention isdirected to theaccompanyingdrawin s, forming a 'part of' this specification, an inwhiohy 'Figure l is an elevation of one of the .tubular pockets, showingone.of its ends closed Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view 'on agreatly enlarged scale, showing the hook-lapped seam. Fi'g. 3' is anelevation, showing the ends of the tubular pocket compressed to closethesame. Fig. 4 is a view 1n side elevation, showing one form of supportfor holding the tubular'pockets.- Fig.

o 'is a vertical sectional view, showing the 4parts are represented bythe' same numerals of. reference.

rolled'around a mandrel or former, with a hook-lapped seam, as shown inFig. 2. Good results have been secured with tubes approximating of aninch in diameter,` and inches long, but obviously. these .dimef sionsmaybe widely varied. The diameter' 1s a' sectionl on the line 'Thepockets are' `formed of small tubes l, Y

should not,` however, be too great, becauseA unit would be Objectionablyremoved from the conductin linc losing walls. The stri s e tubularpockets are ma e otherwise the central portion of each active aresuitably perforated as shown, fexcept`the overlapping edges, which -formthe seam.V

Tl ese strips Aareformedeither of thin sheet' iro'n .ornmkeL-,preferablyplated on'both sides with avery'thin-'coating- (sa"-.O004

in .thickhess) 'ofja nickel-cobalt'al oy in t-he proportion. of 70per-cent. cobalt and 30" per centnickel.- After this alloy is ap liedand'before the.' strip is 'formed into tu ular v shape, the strips aresubjected to a welding ,temperature in la hydrogen atmosphere,

whereby the deposited coatlng of alloy will"v-` lio intimatelyassociated and welded-to the nickel 'or iron base, .and any condition'of tension 4in said coa-'ting wil be f0vercome.

' he stripsv so prepared are now made' into libere-1,0 a much highertemperature' 'below44 after Whichltheftubes 'i I the meltin' 1po1nt,-'sayA a yellowish' white heat, in or er' ,tO-weld't e lapped seamand portion.. vtubes thus forme .10

, the .tubes have thus Y ready substantially der that the flattened partof the tube mayof its bodynot extend beyond the diameter Thron h theupper ends of the d, we now introduce the active nickel material (nickelhydroxid) mixed with conductin Hakes', com osed preferably of `cobalt ornic el-cobalt a oy. The active material is introduced in successiveincrements, .a uniform tyndping pressure being applied after the int ouctlon of .each increment, in 'order that-.the active material may bepacked with a' sufficient density within 'the tubes to give the desiredbeen llfed they are at their upper ends inthe manner aldescribed andarethen ready to be assembled in a' suitable grid or port. Y In Figs'.4: and ,5, we show an arrangement in which the support 3 is in the formof va frame with anintegral conducting lug or ear 4, and with two maincutaway portions .in which the tubular4 ockets are arranged verticalihorizonta rows. The frame is with integral tongues 5, 6, 7 and 8,adapted -to be turned over on the dottedlines, as will be understood, soas to en age the flattened ends of thetubular poc ets, p ressure beingapplied to hold the .pockets closed rigidly in position.4 Insteadof suchan ar-Y rangement, the.

e grid or support by means of rivets9,- as shown in Figs. 6v and 7, itbeing noted that with this arrangement the 'center'of the grid coincideswith the axis of the ockets, so that uniformity in the spacing of t eelectrodes` will bev secured.

By means ofthe construction described, it will be evident that sincethe'pocketsor receptacles are tubular there'can'be no bulgingordistortion ofthe swelling of the active within the same.A To pressureon the active mass at all times-in order that the requisite 'continuityof contact may be secured between the active particles and Vtheconducting films, properly regulating the 'size of the-perfora- -tionsor apertures ofthe pockets, a sufficient `rretardationlo the exit of any'gas generated within'the pocket can be secured to result in forcingt-lie active particles outwardly against the. inclosing walls, `wherebythe active particles will beheld closely compacted together at all timesto maintain the activeparticles in' contact with the conducting yfilmsorflakes. The

mass or to g'as pressure maintainv the desired the viscosity of-- thesolution, since with a ing of the mass pressure. When' electrode;- suppockets may be secured to p pockets, due 'either to' we find that bysure, substantially as Setf continuous.- ltures may belrnade largertosecure the same mass as when a less gas' pressa f within-the Aemployed. An m1- concentrate v'solution i's ltial elastic pressurebetween the active particles andthe conducting lms-or Hakes end betweenthe active particles'and the conducting walls will also be secured bythegra-dual swellin the solution which swelling is limited and ismaintained substantlally constant after jthe limit is reached, and isindependent of that lresulting from absorption of oXy en during thecharging operation1 saidl asorption increasing the elastic pressure.Finally, elasticity within the mass will be secured when metallicconducting films or Hakes are used, composed, for instance', of cobaltor cobalt-nickel alloy, and particularly, when suoli flakes or'lilms arecurled, wrinkled or of otherwise irregular' shapes. 5B thus providing`means within the mass or securing an outwardly, 'excellent contact m-aybe obtained between the active particlesvhen the containing receptacleis practically non elastic, as described. Furthermore since each'unit'ofactive material inclosed within each pocket is of comparatively smalldiam-` eter, n o portion thereof is removed from the conduct-ing wallsof'the pocket to an objectionable extent, and substantiallyA all the Iicient circulation ofthe electrolyteis perf4A initted, whereby a highefficiency can be secured. I

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is :1s-follows; Y

'i 1. An electrode unit comprising a substantially nondeformable,'perfor-ated, inclosings. ocket madev from parative material lcompressed therein, and maintained 'under elastic pressure,substantially as set -Iiorth.

.2. An electrode unit comdprising a "closing pocket made' from metal ofa comparatively high tensile strength and active materlal. compressedtherein, the perfora-v tioiis being ofl such size -as to result in theelastic pressure metal of a com- ,p y high tensile strength andactiveretardation of any gas generated withinthe active mass to effectanelastic pressureof thc active particles, substantially asset forth.-3. An electrode unit, comprising a tubular perforated.non-activeinclosin pocket made from metal of a comparative hightensilel strength and with closed en 1s,;and.adtive material compressedtherein` .under elast-ic pressure, Isubstantially as set foigth.

i4. An electrode unit, comprising-ambular perforated inclo'sin' .endsand coated with' cobalt-nickelv a aictive -material therein underelastic presforth'.-

pocket, having-1 closed-v v 10y,and

o. An electrode unit, comprisinga tubular perforated nonactive, incl'sing pocket made from metal of a comparatively high tensile strength andhaving a vertical Welded seam and closed ends, and fictivematerialcompressed' therein under -elastic pressure, .substantially as setforth. l 4 (i. An electrode unit, comprising a tubular perforatednon-active,inclosing pocket made from metal of a comparativelyhightensile strength and With attened ends and active material compressedtherein under elastic pressure, substantially as set forth.

7. An electrode for storage batteries, coinrising an electrode su ortand a series of tubular perforated non-active, inclosing pockets madefrom metal of a comparatively high tensile strength carried thereby, and

9. An electrode for storage batteries, comprising a supporting skeletonpris'ing an elect-rode support, and a plurality of erforated tubularnon-active, inclosing ppc iets, made from metal of a comparatively ightensile strength, riveted to said support and carrying active materialunder elastic pressure, substantially as set forth. l0. An electrode forstorage lbatteries comprising a supporting skeleton frame and aplurality of perforated Atubular pockets oontaining active material, thesaid pockets titting within the openings in the skeleton frame beingflattened to one side at the ends 1 thereof and riveted at saidflattened ends to f vthe supporting frame and extending outwardlysubstantially the same dist-ancevat each side of the said frame,substantially as set forth. i

11. An electrode for storage batteries coml frame and a plurality ofperforated .tubular pocketsinade from metal of a comparatively hightensile strength and containing active material, the said pocketsfitting within the openings in the skeleton frame being attened to Voneside at the ends thereof and riveted at said flattened. ends to thesupporting frame, and eX- tending outwardly substantially the samedistance on each side of the said frame, substantially as set forth. j

This specification signed and witnessed this 26th day of April, 1905.

THOS. A. EDISON. JONAS WV. AYLSWORTH.

Witnesses:

FRANK L. DYER, ANNA R. KLEHM.

